WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

HB 2274

Driver licenses; creating the Driver Licenses Updating Act of 2025; effective date.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Nicole Miller

Extends military-spouse licensure fee waivers and expedited processing to Guard/Reserve spouses, removing the active-duty requirement.

Second Reading referred to Rules
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 2274

Summary — HB 2274 (2025) — Removing the “active” requirement for military servicemembers for occupational licensure (Kansas)

Status & Procedural History
- Introduced: January 30, 2025 (House Committee on Veterans and Military, Rep. Thompson).
- Amended in Senate Select Committee on Veterans Affairs to add provisions from SB 106 (homeless veteran ID cards) and SB 200 (Purple Heart recognition).
- Committee report: recommends bill be passed as amended by the Senate Select Committee on Veterans Affairs.
- Fiscal note prepared February 11, 2025 (Division of the Budget).

Purpose / Overall Intent
- Primarily: expand an existing occupational-licensure fee-waiver/expedited-application accommodation for military spouses by removing the requirement that the servicemember be “active duty.” The change is intended to correct an apparent oversight in 2024 law that excluded National Guard and Reserve members.
- Additionally (as amended): (1) create a pathway for homeless veterans to obtain non‑driver ID cards without a principal-residence address and make those IDs non‑expiring; and (2) designate Kansas as a “Purple Heart State” and establish annual Purple Heart Day (August 7) observance duties.

Key Provisions
1. Occupational licensing / “complete application”
- Amends the definition of “complete application” so a military spouse’s application is deemed complete for the purposes of fee waivers and expedited issuance even when the spouse’s service member is not classified as active duty (i.e., extends benefit to spouses of Guard/Reserve and similar statuses).
- Affects issuance timelines, fee requirements, and licensing bodies’ processing of military-related applications.

  1. Homeless veteran non‑driver IDs (from SB 106)

    • Homeless veterans may apply for and be issued a non‑driver ID without providing an address of principal residence.
    • Non‑driver IDs issued to homeless veterans do not expire.
    • The Division of Vehicles may accept a letter or certificate verifying residency/receipt of services from: Kansas Office of Veterans Services (KOVS); Kansas Soldiers’ Home; Kansas Veterans’ Home; any veterans services medical center in Kansas; any jail/correctional facility; or any Kansas nonprofit providing services to the homeless.
    • If using such letters/certificates, applicants must provide copies/digital forms of identity documents or certain expired IDs (e.g., common access cards, prior KS driver’s license, KS voter registration card).
    • The Secretary of Health and Environment is prohibited from charging/accepting fees for certain vital records needed by homeless veterans to apply for IDs when accompanied by the required correspondence; rulemaking may provide exemptions.

  2. Purple Heart recognition (from SB 200)

    • Designates Kansas as a Purple Heart State.
    • Requires the Governor to issue an annual proclamation recognizing Purple Heart Day on August 7.
    • Directs the Executive Director of KOVS to promote observance and encourage local veterans organizations to honor Purple Heart recipients.

Who is affected
- Military spouses (including spouses of National Guard, Reserve, and non‑active-status servicemembers): expanded eligibility for licensing fee waivers and application accommodations.
- Licensing bodies and professional boards (e.g., Real Estate Commission, Boards of Nursing, Veterinary Examiners, Barbering, Pharmacy, etc.): operational and revenue impacts; must interpret and implement the amended “complete application” standard.
- Homeless veterans: improved access to non‑driver identification.
- Kansas Office of Veterans Services and veterans organizations: responsibilities for Purple Heart Day promotion.
- Secretary of Health and Environment: fee-exemption implementation for vital records in specified circumstances.

Fiscal / Budgetary Impact
- Division of the Budget collected agency responses; fiscal effects vary and are generally modest but uncertain:
- Kansas Real Estate Commission estimated fee‑fund revenue loss of $40,000–$45,000 annually (methodology: national/state veteran spouse prevalence assumptions).
- Board of Veterinary Examiners estimated up to $1,500 annual revenue loss beginning FY2026 (≈15 applicants).
- Several boards (Nursing, Barbering, Dental, Optometry, Pharmacy, Accountancy, Mortuary Arts, Technical Professions, Hearing Instruments, Abstracters) reported unknown or negligible effects; some noted potential revenue reductions or process updates.
- Board of Healing Arts, Insurance Department, Behavioral Science Regulatory Board reported no fiscal effect.
- Any fiscal implications were not reflected in the FY 2026 Governor’s Budget Report at the time of the note.

Background & Rationale
- Sponsors and proponents assert the amendment remedies an unintended exclusion from prior legislation (2024) that unintentionally limited accommodation to spouses of “active” servicemembers, thereby excluding spouses of current Guard and Reserve members.
- Neutral testimony from some licensing entities raised concerns that the waiver could be overly broad and could affect fee revenues and agency processes.

Timing / Next Steps
- At the time of the committee report, the bill had been recommended for passage as amended. Further floor or gubernatorial action would determine final enactment.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.